Southern Tier town supervisors call for state to approve hydrofracking

Supervisors from Southern Tier towns today called on the governor to approve hydrofracking, which could bring an economic boom to their communities.

Nearly 50 municipalities in the Southern Tier -- where the Marcellus shale rock formation is richest in natural gas -- have approved resolutions in favor of hydrofracking.

“We believe drilling can be done in a way that protects the environment and provides tremendous economic benefits,” said Binghamton Town Supervisor Tim Whitesell in a statement.

The group released a JLCNY NYS Map Final rev 6 13 12.pdf that shows the vast majority of towns that have adopted bans on gas drilling wouldn't see much drilling anyway, and the areas most likely to see drilling are the ones who have adopted resolutions supporting it.

“For too long, the debate has been dominated by people from places where drilling would never occur," said Dewey Decker, supervisor of the town of Sanford in Broome County. "In rural communities where it makes sense, there is strong support for responsible drilling and confidence that the state will properly regulate it.”

In hydrofracking, drillers inject millions of gallons of water and chemicals to shatter deep underground rock formations and release trapped natural gas.